Session Title: Esther Became Queen Bible Passage: Esther 1 4 Main Point: Esther agreed to help her people. Key Passage: Because of the LORD s faithful love we do not perish, for His mercies never end. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness! Lamentations 3:22-23 Big Picture Question: Does God keep His promises? Yes, God is always faithful even when we are not. UNIT 18 Session 1 YOUNGER BIBLE STUDY The Babylonian captivity had ended while Cyrus was king of Persia. Some of God s people now referred to as Jews (people from Judah) traveled back to Judah to rebuild the temple, the city, and their lives. Others, however, stayed in Persia where life among the pagans was relatively comfortable. The king of Persia was now Ahasuerus (uh haz yoo EHR uhs), also known by his Greek name, Xerxes (ZUHRK seez). Esther was a young Jewish girl whom Ahasuerus had chosen to be his queen. The former queen had defied the king and was promptly replaced. Esther did not reveal to the king that she was a Jew. Esther had been an orphan, so her cousin Mordecai adopted her. Mordecai kept in touch with Esther while she lived in the palace. One day, the king gave Haman the Agagite a very important position in the kingdom. The king even commanded the people to bow down to Haman. But Mordecai refused. Haman was a descendant of Agag, king of the Amalekites. The nations of Israel and Amalek did not get along. Haman was angry about Mordecai s defiance, but instead of just punishing Mordecai, he planned to kill all the Jews in the kingdom. Mordecai turned to Esther for help. After all, she was in a position of power, and the Jews were her people. The stakes were high. Esther could be killed for approaching the king without permission. But Esther was willing to take the chance and explain her people s plight. Remind kids that the survival of God s people was essential to God s plan. God s plan all along was to send the Messiah through Abraham s family. Haman s evil plan opposed God s plan, but God was in control. He was working out a plan to use Esther to rescue His people and make the way for His Son, Jesus, to come into the world. SUGGESTED THEME DECORATING IDEAS: Set up the room to look like a training gym. Bring in a bicycle and place it off to the side of the stage. Place some free weights on the floor. Create some fun motivational posters to hang on the wall. You may also use the theme background slide. 1 UNIT 18 // SESSION 1 // CYCLE 1
Session Title: Esther Became Queen Bible Passage: Esther 1 4 Main Point: Esther agreed to help her people. Key Passage: Because of the LORD s faithful love we do not perish, for His mercies never end. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness! Lamentations 3:22-23 Big Picture Question: Does God keep His promises? Yes, God is always faithful even when we are not. UNIT 18 Session 1 YOUNGER Key Passage song Your Faithfulness. KEY PASSAGE SONG Play the Key Passage song as your kids arrive. WORSHIP Worship leaders sing two songs with the children and collect offering. Theme Slide PROPS track suit sweatband gym bag Giant Timeline Big Picture question slides INTRODUCE THE SESSION (3 MINUTES) [Large Group Leader enters wearing a track suit and carrying a large gym bag. Leader sets the gym bag on the floor and sits on the bench.] Leader Hey, everyone! I m so glad you could join me today. I have all my gear ready to start training for a special event. I have my running shorts, swimsuit, and bike helmet. Can you guess what I m training for? A triathlon! Does anyone know what a triathlon is? [Allow kids to respond.] A triathlon is a really long race. Competitors swim, bike, and run long distances. Training for a race like that takes a lot of time and requires a lot of endurance. Who knows what endurance is? [Allow kids to respond.] Endurance is the ability to keep going even when something is hard. In fact, that reminds me of our Bible story today. We will learn about Esther, a woman who needed endurance because she lived during a very difficult time. From her story, we will see that God keeps His promises. God doesn t promise that life will be easy; sometimes the path He gives us is long and difficult, much like a triathlon! GIANT TIMELINE (1 MINUTE) Leader As we look at our timeline, you ll notice that many of God s people had already returned to Jerusalem. However, not all of them went back. [Point to today s Bible story.] Today we will hear about a woman who stayed in Persia. Her name was Esther, and God planned to use her for a very important job. The first part of God s plan for her was to make her the queen of Persia! BIG PICTURE QUESTION (2 MINUTES) Leader As we listen to our story, Esther Became Queen, think about this question: Does God keep His promises? Try to figure out the answer from the story! This will be our big picture question for this unit! Don t forget it! We have five more sessions after today that will answer the same question. 2 UNIT 18 // SESSION 1 // CYCLE 1
Bible Story Video Esther Became Queen video Bible Story Picture Slide Bible WATCH THE BIBLE STORY (5 MINUTES) Open your Bible to Esther 1 4. Tell the Bible story in your own words, or show the Bible story video Esther Became Queen. OPTIONAL BIBLE STORY SCRIPT Esther Became Queen Esther 1 4 When Cyrus was king of Persia, he sent some of God s people back to Judah to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. God s people were called Jews because they were from Judah. Though some Jews returned to Judah to rebuild the temple, many Jews were still in Persia when Ahasuerus (uh haz yoo EHR uhs) became the new king of Persia. When the king s wife did not listen to him, he decided to not let her be queen anymore. The king of Persia needed a queen. He chose Esther to be queen. Esther was very beautiful. She was a Jew and had been raised by her cousin Mordecai (MAWR duh kigh). Esther did not tell the king that she was a Jew. One day, Mordecai heard that Haman, a very important leader who worked for the king, was planning to kill all the Jews. Mordecai was upset! He was a Jew; he did not want all the people he loved to be killed. Mordecai and all the Jews cried. Esther did not know what was wrong. She sent a messenger to ask Mordecai why all the Jews were upset. Mordecai told Esther about Haman s evil plan. You have to do something! Mordecai said. You are the queen. Ask the king to stop Haman. Ask him to save the Jewish people. Esther sent a message back to Mordecai. No one can approach the king unless the king calls for that person first, Esther said. The punishment is death unless the king holds out his scepter; then you may live. Mordecai encouraged Esther to think about it. You are a Jew, he said. If you do not stop Haman, he will kill you too. Maybe this is why you are the queen. Maybe God put Esther in the palace to save her people! Esther asked Mordecai to gather the Jewish people and to fast. They would not eat or drink for three days. They would pray to God for help. Then Esther would go to the king. She was willing to die to save the Jews. Christ Connection: God s plan all along was to send the Messiah through Abraham s family. Haman s evil plan might have stopped God s plan, but God was in control. He was working out a plan to use Esther to rescue His people and make the way for His Son, Jesus, to come into the world. Timeline Poster Main Point Slide 3 UNIT 18 // SESSION 1 // CYCLE 1 TALK ABOUT THE BIBLE STORY (1 MINUTE) Leader What a story. God s people were in a really scary situation. Haman hated Mordecai and all of his people, the Jews. Jew is another name for God s people, and it comes from the name Judah. The king of Persia needed a queen, and he chose Esther. The king did not know that Esther was a Jew. Even in the king s choice, God was in control! God knew that Haman wanted to kill all the Jews, but He was controlling the situation to protect His people. Even Esther s cousin Mordecai thought that God was going to use Esther to help save God s people. Mordecai told Esther, Who knows, perhaps you have come to your royal position for such a time as this (Esth. 4:14). Esther s choice to help God s people was not easy. The king had a rule that no one could go to him unless he called for that person. If Esther went to the king without an invitation, he could have her killed. But if the king held out his scepter, that meant he would allow her to live. Esther agreed to help her people, even if it meant she might die. So what is the answer to our big picture question, Does God keep His promises? Yes, God is
always faithful even when we are not. God s plan all along was to send the Messiah through Abraham s family. Haman s evil plan might have stopped God s plan, but God was in control. He was working out a plan to use Esther to rescue His people and make the way for His Son, Jesus, to come into the world. Even when life is scary and we are unsure about the future, we can still trust that our life is in God s hands. Just as God worked to protect His people from Haman s plot, He sent Jesus to protect us from sin by dying on the cross and rising again on the third day. Key Passage slide KEY PASSAGE (4 MINUTES) Leader This key passage reminds us that God s love never ends. Each day His mercies are renewed, just as fresh as the day before. We see this in the story of Esther when God provided a way for her to be queen and stand up for God s people. We see it too at the cross, where Jesus laid down His life to save us from sin. Then He rose on the third day to conquer death! Show the key passage poster. Lead the boys and girls to read together Lamentations 3:22-23. Mission Video Dove Boys Share Norway MISSION VIDEO Leader It s time to see what God is doing in other parts of the world! Show the missions video Dove Boys Share Norway Leader Let s pray for God s work happening in Norway through the Dove brothers and their parents. PRAYER Invite kids to pray before dismissing to small groups. Leader Father, You are faithful and good. Nothing You plan can be stopped. Thank You for reminding us of that through the story of Esther. Thank You for sending Jesus to save us from sin. Help us to see the ways You have specially placed us in this time and place to tell people in our lives about Jesus. Amen. DISMISS TO SMALL GROUP 4 UNIT 18 // SESSION 1 // CYCLE 1
Session Title: Esther Became Queen Bible Passage: Esther 1 4 Main Point: Esther agreed to help her people. Key Passage: Because of the LORD s faithful love we do not perish, for His mercies never end. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness! Lamentations 3:22-23 Big Picture Question: Does God keep His promises? Yes, God is always faithful even when we are not. UNIT 18 Session 1 YOUNGER Greet each kid as he or she arrives. Help new kids connect to your group. As kids arrive, ask them what they would do if they were a teacher, president, or other authority figure. Say Today we will learn about a woman who became queen. Then she had to decide what to do as queen. What she chose to do was very dangerous, but God used it to further His awesome plan to send Jesus. chalkboard or poster board chalk or marker SESSION STARTER (10 MINUTES) Good queen, bad queen Talk to your kids about what would make a good queen or king and what would make a bad queen or king. Use a chalkboard or poster board to write down their responses. Say Today we will learn about a woman named Esther. She was selected to be queen of Persia by King Ahasuerus; but he didn t make a list of the qualities that make a good queen, he just picked a woman based on her appearance! Thankfully, even in that choice, God was working to protect His people. We ll learn more in large group. 10 minutes after the start of service Break into groups of 10 or less children for Small group Option: Retell or review the Bible story using the bolded text of the Bible story script. Bibles, 1 per kid Main Point Poster 5 UNIT 18 // SESSION 1 // CYCLE 1 BIBLE STORY REVIEW & BIBLE SKILLS (10 MINUTES) Use a pool noodle as a makeshift scepter. Ask the kids questions, and hold out the scepter to kids who want to answer. That kid will take the scepter and attempt to answer the question. Then she will select the next kid to pass the scepter to, who will answer the next question. If a kid answers incorrectly, he will simply pass the scepter to a new kid who thinks she knows the correct answer. Make sure each kid gets at least one turn. Questions: Who was queen before Esther? (Vashti, Esth. 1:10-11) Why did King Ahasuerus send Vashti away? (She would not obey his request; Esth. 1:12-13,19) Who replaced Vashti as queen? (Esther, Esth. 2:9) Who wanted to kill the Jews? (Haman, Esth. 3:5-6) Why did Haman want to kill the Jews? (Haman hated Mordecai because he would not kneel before Haman, Esth. 3:2-5) Why were the Jews sad? (Mordecai told them about Haman s plan, Esth. 4:3) Why was Esther afraid to talk to the king about Haman s plan? (If the king did not call for Esther, she could be killed for coming to him; Esth. 4:9-11) Does God keep His promises? Yes, God is always faithful even when we are not. Name some promises God has kept - either in the Bible or for you. Leader can share. Say Esther knew that she was risking her life if she tried to save her people. However, she also
believed that God made her queen for just such a purpose. Esther agreed to help her people because saving the Jews was more important than her own safety. In a similar way, Jesus gave up His life to rescue us and make us God s children. He was willing to die on the cross so that we could live. God s timing and plans are perfect. When we trust in Jesus, we are protected from the penalty of sin and will live forever with God. Journal Page Pencils The gospel is the good news, the message about Christ, the kingdom of God, and salvation. Use these prompts to share the gospel with your kids. GOD RULES. Ask: Who is in charge at home? Explain that because God created everything, He is in charge of everything. Read Revelation 4:11. WE SINNED. Ask: Have you ever done something wrong? Tell kids that everyone sins, or disobeys God. Our sin separates us from God. Read Romans 3:23. GOD PROVIDED. Explain that God is holy and must punish sin. God sent His Son, Jesus, to take the punishment we deserve. Read John 3:16. JESUS GIVES. Ask: What is the best gift you ve ever received? Say that Jesus took our punishment for sin by giving His life, and He gives us His righteousness. God sees us as if we lived the perfect life Jesus lived. This is the best gift ever! Read 2 Corinthians 5:21. WE RESPOND. Explain that everyone has a choice to make. Ask: Will you trust Jesus as your Savior and Lord? You can turn from self and sin and turn to Jesus. Read Romans 10:9-10. JOURNAL AND PRAYER (5 MINUTES) Distribute journal pages and pencils. Encourage kids to list three ways they can encourage, protect, or help people in their lives this week. Say God cares about His people, and He is faithful to keep His promises. God often uses people like you and me to help others and to show them His love. Let s pray and thank God for always being faithful, even when we are not. Lead the kids in a short prayer, thanking God for His Word and for reminding us that He always keeps His promises. Praise God for His faithfulness even when we are unfaithful and for using ordinary people to bring glory to His name. THE GOSPEL: GOD S PLAN FOR ME Use Scripture and the guide provided in the classroom to explain to boys and girls how to become a Christian. Assign individuals to meet with kids who have more questions. If this is not possible, encourage boys and girls to ask their parents, leader, or other Christian adults any questions they may have about becoming a Christian. Esther Became Queen Esther 1 4 When Cyrus was king of Persia, he sent some of God s people back to Judah to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. God s people were called Jews because they were from Judah. Though some Jews returned to Judah to rebuild the temple, many Jews were still in Persia when Ahasuerus (uh haz yoo EHR uhs) became the new king of Persia. When the king s wife did not listen to him, he decided to not let her be queen anymore. The king of Persia needed a queen. He chose Esther to be queen. Esther was very beautiful. She was a Jew and had been raised by her cousin Mordecai (MAWR duh kigh). Esther did not tell the king that she was a Jew. One day, Mordecai heard that Haman, a very important leader who worked for the king, was planning to kill all the Jews. Mordecai was upset! He was a Jew; he did not want all the people he loved to be killed. Mordecai and all the Jews cried. Esther did not know what was wrong. She sent a messenger to ask Mordecai why all the Jews were upset. Mordecai told Esther about Haman s evil plan. You have to do something! Mordecai said. You are the queen. Ask the king to stop Haman. Ask him to save the Jewish people. Esther sent a message back to Mordecai. No one can approach the king unless the king calls for that person first, Esther said. The punishment is death unless the king holds out his scepter; then you may live. Mordecai encouraged Esther to think about it. You are a Jew, he said. If you do not stop Haman, he will kill you too. Maybe this is why you are the queen. Maybe God put Esther in the palace to save her people! Esther asked Mordecai to gather the Jewish people and to fast. They would not eat or drink for three days. They would pray to God for help. Then Esther would go to the king. She was willing to die to save the Jews. Christ Connection: God s plan all along was to send the Messiah through Abraham s family. Haman s evil plan might have stopped God s plan, but God was in control. He was working out a plan to use Esther to rescue His people and make the way for His Son, Jesus, to come into the world. 6 UNIT 18 // SESSION 1 // CYCLE 1